


shake what's left of me loose (cry mercy)

by BrokenMachine



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Minor Character Death, Multi, basically everyones dying or hurt, because they're all far too young, but whats new, depressing shit, everyone hates the gods, everyone loves sally, hazel and frank come in for like a sentence, where is chiron? i don't know, why is sally the only adult there? i don't know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 01:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11093712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenMachine/pseuds/BrokenMachine
Summary: “No,” he says it as a sob and she swallows, silenced. “Everyone’s hurt. Everyone’s dead. I don’t—I don’t know.”(everything falls apart, and it probably won't ever be okay again)





	shake what's left of me loose (cry mercy)

When Sally gets the call, she’s in the car immediately. Annabeth sounds panicked, and through the tinny connection she can hear people screaming and what sounds oddly like cannons in the background.

“ _The battle’s almost over_ ,” she had shouted into the phone. “ _Please get here. It’s—it’s bad_.”

It should have taken her two hours, tops, to get there, but she’s faced with more traffic down the motorway than she’s seen her whole life, and despite the amount of swearing and shouting she does out the window, the cars continue to inch on like snails. By the time she pulls to the bottom of the hill, switching of the engine and rushing up the hill, the sun is setting in the sky.

The air feels broken, like the particles have become big and clunky. Sally feels the air brush against her as she fights her way up the hill, swimming through it. Sparks jolt her every now and then, like an electric shock. When she reaches the top of the hill, her hands fly to her mouth. There are bodies _everywhere_. A high wailing comes from a building by the Big House, which is collapsed inwards and smoking, like it’s been on fire.

Three or four teenagers stand near her, their hands high in the air, shaking. One of them sees her and starts, reaching for his sword, and then stops. “Sally Jackson?” he asks, and she nods. “Go on.”

“But—the barrier—“

“It’s broken.” Another girl looks over from where she’s moving her hands through the air in an almost weaving-like motion. Around them the air crackles. Magic. That must be why the air feels so weird. Never before has Sally felt broken magic, but now she concentrates, she can really sense the way it was ripped apart and exploded outwards.

“You can get in.” Sally hears the unspoken meaning. _Anyone can_.

She steps past them silently, and is immediately tackled. Percy. Her mind shuts down and she wraps her arms around her boy. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” he croaks, but he’s shaking. “I’m okay. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, of course, baby,” she pulls back and takes his face into her hands. He has a bloody lip and a bandage wrapped around his arm, but he looks fine. “Is everyone okay? What’s—“

“No,” he says it as a sob and she swallows, silenced. “Everyone’s hurt. Everyone’s dead. I don’t—I don’t know.”

“Shh.” She kisses him on the forehead and his body relaxed. “Come on, let’s go have a look. Help people.” He nods, and turns. They haven’t made it two feet before Sally hears him curse and break into a sprint.

She follows him and stops just behind him as he crouches down over two still bodies piled over each other. Percy lifts Leo into a sitting position from where he was lying over someone. The latino boy stares up at him for a few seconds, and then leans to the side and vomits. Percy holds him, pressing against a wound on his arm. It’s impossible to tell if he’s hurt more, but Sally stops noticing when she sees the body Leo was lying over. He’s a small boy, no older than eight.

“Oh my god,” she whispers, and Percy glances up at her. He’s holding back tears.

Sally watches, sickened, as Percy helps Leo to his feet. He is shaking, pale white and in shock as Percy turns him away from a little boy lying on the ground. Leo’s legs buckle and Percy catches him, arms around his torso. Sally can hear him murmuring to Leo. As if summoned, Jason shows up, lunging forward to carry his friend. Sally watches as they half carry, half walk him over to a group of other teenagers sitting on the grass. His siblings. That must mean…

“That’s Harley,” Percy says at her shoulder, returned. Sally kneels down at the little boy’s side and presses a hand to her mouth. He’s just a _baby_. “Leo’s brother.”

“He’s so _young_ ,” Sally chokes out. Percy makes a pained noise and leans over to shut Harley’s eyes.

“He wasn’t supposed to be fighting,” he manages, and Sally side hugs him. He sinks into her embrace, as usual, but there is something missing as he stares at the child’s body. Harley’s leg is missing and the arrow sticking from his chest almost makes Sally be sick.

“ _AUSTIN_!” Both their heads jerk up, facing towards the infirmary. A girl with green hair is carried out by another girl, sobbing loudly. Behind her, a boy stumbles out and is sick all over the porch, before turning around and diving back into the mess.

"Oh no,” Percy breaths, and shoots off. Sally watches him go.

“Mrs. Blofis?”

“Nico,” she sees when she turns around. He smiles at her, but the expression is tight and unnatural, and his eyes have no colour. She vaguely remembers the brown they used to be. “How are you?”

“Fine. Are you okay? Do you want to go sit down?” He’s taken her arm, and she realises she’s shaking like a leaf. With a deep breath, she shakes her head.

“No. I’m okay.”

“I’m glad,” Nico says. Sally puts her hand over the one of his on her arm and squeezes. His eyes fill with tears.

“Honey?” she says, and he stumbles a little.

“Another one gone. That’s another—,” he swallows and takes a deep breath. “That’s Paolo gone.”

“ _GODDAMMIT_.” The enraged cry fills the air, sweeping through the camp, just as a scream takes up. Nico winces and stares towards the infirmary with a desperate helplessness she recognises. It’s the look she sees in the mirror every time Percy leaves for the summer.

“Is Hazel in there?” she breathes, afraid, but he shakes his head.

“No. She’s at Camp Jupiter.” He takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. “I need to go and perform the rituals. Or prepare them, at least. Bye, Mrs. Blofis.”

“Bye, honey,” she whispers, and he disappears, sinking into her shadow. Sally takes in the sight, the bloodstained field, the bodies lying everywhere. She can see shrouds being placed over them, and watches as a lanky teenager cradles a child to his chest, shoulders shaking. Her heart jolts when she recognises Apollo, but the energy crackling around him isn’t inviting.

“Excuse me, can you help me?” Sally turns around and gasps. A pretty dark-skinned girl stares up at her, face twisted in pain. Sally takes in the empty space below her shoulder and the blood streaming between her fingers and catches her around the waist.

“Oh dear,” she whispers, and the girl smiles briefly.

“I’m sorry, I—“ she doesn’t finish the sentence and vomits all down herself. It’s tinged red.

“Okay honey, we’ll take you to the infirmary, it’s okay.” She glances around and sees Jason. “Jason! Can you help?” He turns, and the horror that flashes across his face surprises her.

“ _PIPER_!” In a flash he is by her side, and he pulls her to him. The pretty girl presses her face into his shoulder and Jason lets out a sob. “Oh my gods, Pipes.”

With a flash, Sally realises this is Piper McLean, Percy’s friend. “We need to get her to the infirmary,” Sally reminds Jason, who nods, face pale.

“Yeah, okay,” he moves to pull her arm around his shoulder, and then freezes, what’s left of the colour in him draining. “Oh gods. Pipes, your arm.”

“I _know_ ,” she sobs, and she’s shaking, hardly even standing.

“Come on,” Sally pulls her still there arm around her shoulder and helps them limp across the field. As they get closer, people turn their heads and shocked cries echo.

“Piper!” another girl rushes to her. “Oh my gods.”

“I’m okay, Lacy,” she gasps, but she seems hardly able to keep her head up. Lacy starts to cry and sprints away, to where another boy is watching with his hands over his mouth.

They enter the infirmary and Sally’s mouth falls open. Yellow light weaves through the room, lighting up dark corners and twisting down to people lying on beds. In the center of the room, a boy works with his back to them, glowing white, his hands moving fast over a bloody wound on a boy’s neck. The sunlight seems drawn to him even as it burns out of him.

“Someone help!” Jason calls, and the boy turns. He takes in Piper’s arm, or lack of, and turns to a girl working next to him.

“You can do this, now. It’s not so bad. Jason, take her here.” Jason lets Piper down on to a bed nearby, and the boy is on her in a flash. The sunlight streaming from him dims, but he shakes his head and tenses until it is white hot again.

“Is that safe?” Sally asks as he barks orders for tourniquets and bandages. The boy glances up at her.

“Not for me, but it helps the othe—Quinn! Fire!” Sally watches, transfixed, as a boy brings over a flaming torch. The boy takes it and makes eyes at Jason, who turns Piper’s face away, leaning over her to block her view. The scream Piper lets out tears at Sally’s heart and she turns away, hand over her mouth.

Apollo enters the room as she looks to the door, and he lifts his hands. From them, long tendrils of glowing light slide from him, stronger than the ones the boy is pushing out, and he snaps on surgeon gloves by the door, brushing past her to help the others.

Sally leaves the room and bumps into Annabeth. “Mrs. Blofis,” she says, and Sally almost weeps with relief. She pulls her into a hug and Annabeth sinks into it.

“Are you okay, baby?” she asks, running her hand down her hair.

“Broken ankle, but I’m fine,” Annabeth rubs her back. Sally goes to say something else, but the air around them drops ten degrees and she stumbles back.

“ _Shit_ ,” Annabeth begins to sprint towards a boy in the middle of the field, crouched over a body, but a sharp wave of power pushes her back. Sally moves closer, and sees the boy is Nico, crouched in a patch of black grass, frost coating it. He makes no sound or noise, but the air around him ripples and there are faint tremors shaking the ground.

“What’s wrong?” she asks Annabeth, and the girl looks at her in anguish.

“That’s Reyna. She’s Nico’s best friend. I was trying to find him to tell her before…” she waves helplessly at the crouched boy.

Nico bends over and presses his forehead to the girl’s side. His hands are clenched and trembling against her tan arm. “We need Will,” Annabeth mutters.

“Who’s Will?”

“Nico’s boyfriend. He’s the head medic, so he’ll be busy right now.” Annabeth rubs her neck.

“The one that was treating Piper?” Sally asks, and Annabeth’s eyes widen.

“What’s wrong with Piper?”

“She’s injured, honey. She’s lost one of her arms.” Annabeth’s eyes close and for a moment Sally thinks she’s going to pass out, but she steadies herself.

“Okay. I’ll go see her.” Sally watches her go and sits down on the porch. A few minutes later Percy joins her, shaking.

“Hey, honey.” He mumbles something and presses his face into her shoulder. Sally hugs him, running her fingers through his hair. “Has something else happened?” _Has someone else died_? Percy gulps shakily and she knows he’s close to crying, so just holds him closer.

“Uh, hey.” They both look up and see Grover standing there, his eyes red and puffy. There’s dried blood all down the side of his face but he seems not to notice.

“Grover,” Sally welcomes him, her heart warm. She loves Grover the most out of all Percy’s friends. His kind heart draws her to him.

“Hey, Sally,” Grover croaks, and she feels her heart fall. “Um…Percy, J—Juniper, she…”

“Oh, _no_ ,” Percy sounds like he’s just been punched. “ _No_.” Grover begins to cry and Percy stumbles up, pulling him into his arms.

“It’s not fair,” Grover bleats. “It’s not fair.”

Sally looks around at the children strewn across the battlefield. They’re so young. It’s not fair, Grover’s right. They’re just kids. Not for the first time, she curses the Gods and everything they’ve done to them all. As she sees a dragon landing on the ground, a dark skinned girl—Hazel, sliding off it and rushing to Nico, the dragon morphing into a large Asian boy she knows is Frank, she feels a tear drop and looks up to the sky.

 _Please_ , she begs. _Give them a break_. As usual, silence is her only answer.

**Author's Note:**

> okay, i kind of have no idea whats going on in this at all but please forgive me because its the first thing I've wrote in ages and i banged it out in like two hours.  
> hope you liked it! please let me know what you thought


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